


Evolution

by FireEmblemThief13



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-23 17:54:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19706482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireEmblemThief13/pseuds/FireEmblemThief13
Summary: Barely surviving the encounter with Alm, Berkut realizes that he is alone in this lifetime. As he comes to deal with the terms of losing his beloved Rinea, the once haughty prince must choose between living a life that he finds is desperately lacking versus joining his loved one in death. Only one thing stops him.





	1. Embark

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first story from Fire Emblem Echoes. Let me know if you guys like it or if there is something to be improved on. I'm open to criticism. Thanks! =3

Prologue – Embark

Berkut faded in and out of consciousness, darkness overwhelming him. He wished he could cry out for help. The prince’s eyes were half-lidded, completely glassy and without light. He was definitely a sight with some of his armor broke off and his clothes slashed that it exposed his cold flesh. His once-perfect hair was in complete disarray and a little bit singed at the ends. _Rinea_ , he thought. _I’ll be able to be with you soon. We’ll be able to conquer the next life together. I can’t wait…_

He barely heard the sound of high heels walking toward him. He tried to turn his head, but was only met with penetrating pain. Even though it was so intense, he couldn’t find himself to cry out. It was then that he noticed a blackened figure came into his view. Figuring that it was some sort of looter looking for something in the remains of the battle between him and Alm, he didn’t focus on them until they bent down to take a better glance at him. But tiredness overcame Berkut and he realized that he was losing consciousness again for what seemed like the last time.


	2. Enchantress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for reading this far! Please let me know what I can do to make the story better. Also, it would be nice to give me suggestions on other characters from the other Worldwide releases of Fire Emblem games or even Fire Emblem Heroes. Thanks! =3

Chapter 1 – Enchantress

“Come on…” an unfamiliar voice urged, followed by a long silence. “I know you can make it! Please!” The overwhelming quietness broken once again by the strange angelic voice. “Please…” Then there was darkness, absolute nothingness. _Maybe it was my beloved Rinea…?_ No, she didn’t sound at all like this. She had such a sweeter tone, while this one was strong and emotional. All Berkut wanted to do was follow the path Rinea had set out before him, but something was preventing him from doing so.

***

Berkut found himself opening his eyes, wondering if he finally made it to the afterlife to be reunited with his lover, but instead of being met with her warm dark blue eyes, he was on his back while staring at a ceiling of an impoverished home. He arduously moved his head to the right, where he noticed a woman in black clothing sitting at some sort of table. He must have made some noise, either a mix between a groan or a heavy sigh, because she bolted up off her chair.

She smiled a little, then laughed, as if it were a great relief. He stared at her, unable to contain his displeasure. She was not his fiancee, but maybe some sort of being who was going to judge him on his past deeds. He was interrupted from his thoughts when the woman spoke, “You made it through the night. I never would have expected it.”

Berkut closed his eyes and contemplated his current situation. _So I’m obviously not with Rinea, but maybe it’s just a mistake and I ended up in a different part of some heaven…Or maybe…_ He forced this thought out of his head before he felt even worse. He knew that the strange person held the answers and as much as he wanted to force answers out of her, he felt his eyes get heavy and before he could stop himself, he passed out again.

The next time he awoke, the woman was standing above him with an odd staff in hand. It was black with intricate, golden details on the rod while the orb itself was a light blue. He was unable to read what it said, his vision still a little funny from before. He couldn’t even process what she was really saying until she halted the flow of words to gaze back at him, with just the same intensity as he was staring at her with. Only hers was with a little glee in them. Like she was pleased to see him. It was then that he noticed that her eyes were bright blue with swirls of green around her pupil.

“Hello. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Adorie.” She almost sounded mechanical, completely different from the intensely expressive voice from before, begging him to live. With his silence, she sighed solemnly. “Sorry…” She paused before taking a deep breath in. “Interacting with others is sort of difficult for me. I’m Adorie.” She held out her hand, offering it to him to shake.

He glanced at her hand, seemingly offended by it and her gesture. She awkwardly put her arm back at her side, then quickly behind her. He wasn’t about to give his name to a complete stranger that didn’t even seem to live nobly. He looked away from her, uninterested and he wanted to go back to sleep. He wished he could voice his opinion, but the words would not form in his mouth.

“Well, if you need anything, please give me a shout. You know my name now, so it should be simple.” With that, she walked away from the bed he was in and he once again fell back asleep, but not before thinking, _What a completely graceless, worthless bum._


	3. Energy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for reading my story and thanks if you have input for me! I look forward to connecting and working with you guys to perfect my writing! =3

Chapter 2 – Energy

Berkut awoke at dusk again, like he always seemed to do for the past five days. Was it even five days or was he just making that up? He still didn’t know what frame of reference to use for time because he didn’t know if he was in the afterlife or still alive. Honestly, he considered the woman’s words carefully the more he was able to move around without pain. He recounted one of the first moments with her, where she said that he “survived the night”. So that meant he was still alive. He furrowed his brow in anger. He still lived while Rinea was dead and gone.

He promised himself that the next time he would see this…girl, he would interrogate the hell out of her and finally get his answers. He could already feel the words about ready to bombard from his lips, he just needed her to be here.

It took all of his energy in order to sit up, but he managed to do so, holding in his moans of pain. His parents taught him to be strong while they were still living. They would turn over in their graves if he left out even the tiniest of whimpers in pain. He felt the wound from his chest wanting to reopen as he tried to get out of the bed that he considered hard and dirty.

Just as he was about to lift himself up to his feet, the woman walked into view. “You’re not supposed to be up and about.” She gently placed her hands on his shoulders to get him back into bed.

He swatted at her hands in irritation, coming into contact with hers. As much as he wanted to deny the sparks, he felt like his body was on fire when she was touching him. He shooed her away, yelling, “Get away from me you pissant! How dare you touch me like you know me and are of the same status as me!”

She narrowed her eyes at him, keeping her arms at her sides, her hands turned into fists. “How dare I? I tried my hardest to save a random stranger and this is the thanks I get?” The enchantress huffed and took long strides to another room in the home, leaving Berkut alone to process what just happened.

He gazed at his bare hands, wondering where his armor had gotten to. _Damn_ , he thought. As much as he wanted answers right now, he was only met with more questions for the woman. And now she was in another room. He glanced down at his chest, covered in ivory bandages that were wrapped around his chest with care to make sure it was not too loose or too tight. One thing that caught his eye was that the bandages were slowly seeping with blood. His blood. At one point, he was glad, but the other part of him wanted to get healed right away so he could get out of here as fast as possible.

He laid back down, suddenly overwhelmed with tiredness. As much as he really wanted to stay awake, he remembered the castle medic always telling him to rest when he was injured from sparring. He hated listening to that hag, but now he realized that she might have had a bit of a point there. So he laid his head back on the pillow and proceeded to rest.


	4. Empathy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm happy to provide you with the next chapter! Once again, I'm open to suggestions to improve my writing. I know I definitely need help keeping characters in character, so please remind me if I stray too far on keeping them within character while still ensuring character development. Thanks again! =3

Chapter 3 – Empathy

A week had passed in this tiny house. One week that filled Berkut with a twinge of annoyance that got bigger as the hours and days passed. The woman, Adorie, was it? Adorie distanced herself from the prince, only healing him whilst he was asleep and offering warm food during mealtimes. Berkut would wake up some nights to some type of anguished noise that he couldn’t comprehend. He tried to ignore it, but he felt the calling of it to him, as if he was supposed to do something about it. He didn’t really find it worth it to talk much to the commoner that was healing him. As much as she reminded him of the palace healer, she was much to outspoken for her own good. Unlike his beautiful Rinea.

Oh, how he missed Rinea. He would often find himself thinking about her, how they met, the way he would jest with her, how they danced in perfect synchronization, how…just everything about her. He vividly remembered his last moments with her. How she said she wouldn’t care what their stations were as long as they were together. How foolish he was to offer her up to Duma…

Berkut closed his eyes, still deep in thought, his eyes starting to sting. _No…I will not cry. Not over a woman. Even though I’ve wronged her fully…I didn’t deserve her kindness anyway_ , he thought painfully.

He heard the heels of Adorie’s shoes as she moved from room to room of the house. He guessed that he was off in a secluded area in the house. He contemplated the idea that she just tossed him into a room to himself and deemed it good enough that he couldn’t complain about that aspect. He still found many other things to criticize her about though, so he was going to give her a hard time the next time he actually was awake to see her.

With his eyes still closed and his hearing enhanced, he heard footsteps coming closer to him. Recognizing that it was still Adorie’s heels, he kept his eyes closed as she approached him. She moved the chair from the table nearby and sat herself down. He wondered to himself if she had always sat down while healing him. He couldn’t remember for the life of him, nor did he want to. As soon as he gets better, he would get the hell out of here and find some way back to the palace.

He felt the air move around him as she began the incantation again, like the first time he heard her try to help him. Unlike the usual ancient tone, she whimpered out, “Please, I must heal him. Please. Give me enough motivation and energy to heal him…”

Before he knew it, he found himself moving his arm to grab her wrist and his eyes snapped open. She was shocked at his actions, so much so that she fell out of the chair, crying out in surprise. “Ah!” She made a loud thud as she collided with the floor, the chair slamming onto its side as well.

He seethed, “You again?! What sort of foolery is this?!” As he looked into her eyes as if he were to peer in her soul, he noticed how tired and thin she looked. She no longer held that healthy appearance as she had before. He harrumphed and tried to sit up again. She made no move to stop him this time. He glared down at her. “How dare you act that way towards me. You should be honored to be healing a royal individual such as myself! You lack the motivation, ha! You make me laugh at how your head will roll off your shoulders when I’m done with you!” He smirked in pure haughtiness as he watched her duck her head, shielding her eyes with her disheveled hair.

He could hear her grit her teeth and he smiled. “You’re pretty wise for a bumpkin. I’m glad that you know when to hold your tongue.” She muttered something and he frowned. “What did you say?!” He got up slowly so he wouldn’t cause any pain, but at the moment, he hardly cared about the pain as long as he could inflict it on her.

“I SAID SHUT UP!” she hissed loudly through her teeth. “I’m so sick of you treating me like some sort of animal! Like I’m not even human! At least I’m more human than you!” She slowly picked herself up off of the floor, retrieved her staff and then shakily stormed out of the room.

Berkut felt like he was struck by a blow from Alm again. Somehow this hurt just a bit worse. Of course, he wasn’t human. He was once a god in a sense. But even then, he knew how much of a puppet he turned out to be. Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut and let her heal him…

***

Nighttime approached and Berkut was still awake, plagued with his own thoughts of how he treated Rinea again. He felt like a sword without its sheath, dangerous and unpredictable while the cover Rinea would have provided him would be full of warmth and happiness. Oh, how he missed her so much. He reconsidered his position. Maybe if he were to go out and get himself killed, he would rejoin Rinea and they could finally have their happily ever after. But to have a simple commoner or brigand to wound him…That would be pitiful indeed. Maybe he should search out Alm and see if he would finish the job. A life without Rinea would be full of meaningless trifles, no matter how small. Unfortunately, he knew that Rinea would want him to continue on and that somehow pained him more than when he wrought pain on Adorie.

While he was debating his options once more, he took note of his body. His head and facial muscles worked without inflicting any pain, as well as his arms and shoulders. His legs brought a little bit of an ache, but he felt that he would be able to persevere. With that in mind, he lifted himself off of the bed, noticing that he was practically naked save for some undergarments. He inwardly seethed. How dare that swine undress him!

He shook his head. That was not the biggest priority right now. Right now, he would get out of this house, find his bearings, search for a horse and maybe some noble clothes, and get out of this place.

As he took light steps through the door, he recognized the cries once more. Except now, he could finally put a face and an image to the sound.

Before him, he found the woman sitting on the floor, tears running down her face as she stared down at her fisted hands. She clawed at the floorboards, her semi-long nails breaking and drops of blood pooling on the ground. Only, the blood didn’t come from her fingers like he would have imagined. It came from her mouth and stomach, exactly where Berkut bled. He placed a hand on his bandaged area, wondering and watching.

She wasn’t paying much attention to her wounded “guest” standing in the doorway. The only thing she could focus on was her own desperate pleas for help and the tears cascading down her chin an onto the floor, where it made a slight damp spot on the floor. He could hear how much pain she in was and it was then that it clicked in his brain as she whispered, “It hurts...Is it even worth trying to heal him…?”

No wonder he never saw the clerics after they would leave him from either being sick or wounded. They took on his pain and sickness after they would heal him. He suddenly felt a sickening feeling in his stomach. What was it? Pity? He didn’t know. The only thing he felt like doing was to pull her up and take her to a place to sit or lie down. Knowing full well that it would not bode well with their personalities, he decided just to go back to the room he was given and rest up.

After he made it back to the bed, he decided that he wouldn’t take anymore healing from the woman. If he would kill Rigelian after Rigelian with his wounds, what kind of noble would that make him? He never meant to harm an innocent Rigelian, well, except for verbally. Berkut knew that Rinea would frown upon him if he continued to let the woman suffer because of him, so he vowed that he would take a stand and resist her healings.


	5. Excellence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Thanks for checking out my story. Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I'm also working on a few other projects that I want to get on here as quick as possible. Let me know if there's anything that I can do to improve my story. Thanks again! =3

Chapter 4 – Excellence

The next day, Adorie came back into the room, staggering somewhat when she noticed Berkut up and about. He glanced at her, barking orders almost instantly. “Tell me, woman, where can I find a nobleman’s outfit?”

She glared at him. “How about I just get you an outfit in general?”

He frowned at her tone. He deserved her distain thanks to his earlier words, but that didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt at least a little bit. “That will do.” Before she let to get him the clothes, he moved to stand in front of her. “What’s your name again?” he questioned, almost softly this time.

The small brunette blinked in confusion. “Uh…I…It’s Adorie.” She shifted nervously from one foot to the other. She seemed to have recovered a little from the previous night, but he could still notice how frail she was as she moved without much grace. So unlike Rinea.

He sighed, almost as if he was admitting defeat. “Adorie, then.” He paused, noticing how her name just made him tingle inside. Oh, how it flowed nicely from his lips. He brought himself back to the conversation as she tried to move past him. “Hold on, I’m not done with you yet,” he firmly stated, unlike yelling at her like he wanted to. “Where are they? I can get them myself.”

Now she looked perplexed as she crossed her arms uncomfortably. “I can get them…It does not matter much to me.”

He shook his head. “Either instruct me to where they are or I will go searching myself.” He almost laughed at her as she found herself unable to talk at the change of character.

“Um…It’s in the drawer in my room. I insist, I can retrieve it.”

They stared at each other for a few seconds, neither seeming to give until she looked away. “Fine. At the end of the other hallway. Please pay no heed to the mess.”

Berkut made it to her room in a few long strides, making him realize how small this house really was. No wonder he could hear her at night and now that he knew what caused her to be in agony, he would prevent it. No other healer would tend to his wounds again while he was still alive. He definitely felt bad when he noticed the dried blood on the floor when he walked into the room.

He rummaged through the first drawer, attempting to keep things in the same order as she left it, but found no sign of what he desired. The next one held no clothing at all, but was filled with books. Hell, she had more books than she had clothes, which was kind of surprising to him, but decided that it was her pastime. In the final drawer, he noticed all sorts of clothes for different aged individuals and wondered how she had all these types of clothes. Deciding it was none of his business, he closed the drawer and proceeded to put on the slacks. He scowled at the fabric when he noticed that they were peasant pants and secretly hoped that the shirt wasn’t like that, only to be disappointed when he held it out in front of him. With the shirt in one hand, he undid the bandages with the other, wanting to be rid of them posthaste.

After he had finished changing, he wished for a mirror to look at himself. Remembering where he was now, he sighed. That wouldn’t be happening anytime soon. And while he’s here, he won’t get any luxuries like he normally had at the castle. And there’s still the problem of getting someone of noble birth to finish him off.

His stomach twisted in fear. Would Rinea really want him to follow her or would she be okay with him moving on past the madness that was his previous life? He had no idea and he yearned to ask for her opinion on the matter. He loved hearing her opinion most of the time, but realized that it was what got her killed by him in her final moments. His teeth clenched and he decided to think about this some other time. He had a horse to find.

He exited the room and went back in to where he was being healed by Adorie. Berkut searched the whole house for her, which ended up not being much, but came up with no sign of her. Her staff was even gone, so she must not be in the house. _Perfect_ , he thought with a smile.

He quietly left the house, noticing that it was daytime out. Probably around midday by the looks of the sun. Not the ideal time to try and get a horse, but he wouldn’t complain. As he was wandering around the village, passing quaint little homes and some domestic animals like cows and dogs that paid him no mind.

Probably now in the middle of the village square, Berkut noticed Adorie on her knees addressing a small child. The young boy seemed to have been crying, but now was watching Adorie with wonder as she used her staff to heal him. It was then that he noticed that the young boy had blood on his left knee.

As soon as she was done, she held his hands and asked, “Can you show me where these mean men are that hurt you?” The little boy nodded and ran along, urging Adorie to follow him. Berkut, curious as ever, decided to follow as well.

Hearing “mean men” pass Adorie’s lips made him want to investigate. What could she do against these “mean men”? When he got to the scene, he noticed that a lean, sneering man and a short, stubby one was in front of Adorie. By their clothes and disposition, he recognized that they were merchants.

The tall one laughed at her. “You can’t accuse us of something that a child told you! Go back to farming, little girl!”

The shorter merchant shook his head. “No, I believe that we can use a young, delectable woman such as herself.”

Adorie wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Just please leave. We don’t need you causing anymore trouble here.” As she turned to go, the tall one nodded and grabbed her arm. “L-let me go!” she cried out.

None of the villagers nearby were on her side as they either glanced away or went back to what they were doing. She must have been as much as a pariah here as Berkut was. When she looked desperately his way, her eyes widened.

As she was being practically dragged away, Berkut felt himself get enraged, more than usual. He glanced from side to side, searching for something to use as a weapon. He noticed a pitchfork and deemed it worthy for his cause at the moment. He took it and charged at the men.

He went for a thrust at the one that had Adorie in his grasp and as soon as he was a few inches away, the merchant released Adorie, but Berkut wasn’t done yet. He went for a slash attack to take out the both of them, but Adorie wrapped her arms around his waist and pushed him to the ground, causing the pitchfork to fall from his grip. “No!” she yelled. “No more violence! This village has seen enough of it!”

The merchants glared at Berkut in both distaste and in fury. “How dare you attack a band of noble merchants such as ourselves! Who do you think you are, peasant?”

Berkut frothed out, “I’m Prince Berkut, rightful heir to the Rigelian throne! How dare you address me in such a way!”

The chubbier merchant chuckled. “Ha! Everyone knows that Prince Berkut died facing the real heir to the throne. Emperor Alm would not be happy disguising yourself as his cousin.”

“Just get out of here before I drive this into your stomachs!” Berkut shouted, losing his patience with what the men said. They eyed him for a second, seeing the resolve in his eyes and hurried off.

Berkut glanced down at Adorie and softly asked, “Are you alright? Those ruffians had no right to grab you like that.”

She nodded. “Yes,” she said as she peeked up at him. “Are you really who you said you are though?”


End file.
